It was a nice story. A Kickstarter campaign drew contributions from some 91,000 fans and amassed $5.7 million to make a movie of “Veronica Mars,” the TV series about a teen detective that ended its three-year run in 2007.

The campaign persuaded Warner Bros., which owned the rights, to throw in a bit more money and make the film that last month went to video on demand and theaters. Original star Kristen Bell returns in the title role, no longer a teen. Her dad, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), is back too, or never left Neptune, the fictional California town she and her father moved to when he took the job of sheriff. At first, she started moonlighting as a detective, but then it became more than lunch money when her dad was ousted from his post and opened his own detective agency. She began helping out.

When the series ended, Veronica and her boyfriend, Logan (Jason Dohring), had ended their relationship. Now some seven years later, our heroine has graduated from law school in New York City, where she has a top job and a new boyfriend, but she is drawn to Neptune — a rich town she loves to hate — in order to help her ex, who’s suspected of killing his rock-star girlfriend.

The movie plays out like an elaborate episode of the show. It even feels at times like a commercial break is coming. There is still some charm and nostalgia in the project, but the mystery is little more than intriguing. Bell is a likable and charming presence, but there is little evidence that her Veronica wouldn’t rather be doing her thing in the big city.

Also of note

In “The Story of the Jews,” both a book and a BBC documentary that aired on PBS, author Simon Schama approaches the history by focusing less on the grand biblical tale of the Hebrew people and more on the culture of everyday life. It makes for a fascinating and easily accessible story.

To get fans ready for yet another big-screen adaptation about Japan’s iconic monster, a number of “Godzilla” double bills are being released. It’s a wonder there is anything left to destroy.

And Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special edition. Beans and all, it’s as funny as ever.